Stranded With Ella

by Shelley Munro

  Just before nine, she walked into work with fear nipping at her heels. She wished she could talk to someone. Suzie was in Auckland—or was it Sydney? Since her friend had snagged a promotion, Ella had problems keeping her schedule straight. An email wasn’t the same anyway because she desperately needed a hug.

  This was a mistake. She should’ve stuck with casual. Friends with benefits. Then when Dillon had left, she could’ve moved on with happy memories. She should’ve… Heck! Her parents had taught her better than this. The pure selfishness of her thoughts had her uttering a small curse. Dillon was injured and lying in a hospital bed somewhere in Afghanistan, and he deserved her loyalty right now since she’d given him promises. Once he had recovered and he came home again—that would be her chance to reassess their relationship and lay out her fears.

  With a nod to bolster this more positive plan, she settled into work for the day.

  “I want you to lead the feeding of the eels tour this morning,” her boss said.

  “No problem,” Ella said.

  “We have a couple who have booked a private tour this afternoon.” Marie handed over a sheet of paper. “This is their schedule. They particularly want to visit the kiwi house and the kaka feeding.”

  “Will do.”

  “If you can squeeze out time to restock the shop, I’d appreciate the help. The two coachloads of Japanese tourists yesterday decimated our stock. We have new T-shirts in as well. I’d like to get those loaded into our computer system.”

  Ella nodded, glad of the busy start to her day. Instead of turning off her phone as was her normal habit at work, she switched it to vibrate and slipped it into her jeans pocket.

  By the time the end of her workday arrived, the phone felt like a ticking bomb. Josh hadn’t contacted her again. Neither of Dillon’s parents had rung her with the news.

  She wasn’t sure what to do next.

  * * * * *

  Dillon woke slowly, throbbing pain in his head. It vibrated down his neck to settle in his left shoulder. He didn’t open his eyes but used his senses and foggy brain to ascertain his whereabouts.

  A machine beep-beep-beeped to his left. Farther away, feminine voices murmured in English. American accents. Australian accents. And that eh at the end of a sentence sounded Canadian.

  Safe.

  He opened his eyes and turned his head. The throb of the tiny movement warned him to stop, but he required information. A groan forced its way up his throat. The croak halted the voices and sneakered feet tapped their way toward him.

  “You’re awake at last, Mr. Williams.” A nurse with an Australian accent and strawberry blonde hair smiled at him. “We were starting to worry about you.”

  “Where am I?”

  “At the military hospital. Still in Afghanistan.” The nurse scrutinized his chart and made a notation.

  “Ella,” Dillon croaked, his throat and mouth uncomfortably dry.

  “Who is Ella?” She took his temperature and glanced at a monitor before she added something else to his chart.

  “My girl. Phone.” His head thumped without mercy, and he found it difficult to string together thoughts let alone words.

  “Dillon, you’re awake.”

  Dillon turned his head again to view the new arrival. A groan emerged and Josh hurried to his side.

  “He’s just woken. I need to call the doctor but you can have a few minutes with him before she arrives,” the nurse said.

  Josh dragged a chair closer to his bed and sat. “I brought your phone. How is the shoulder?”

  “Throbbing like an alpaca kicked me. Head hurts worse.”

  Josh barked out a laugh. “We had to dive for cover when we retrieved you. Frog tripped and you bashed your head on a rock. The good news is we got Bull.”

  “He okay?”

  “They say he will be,” Josh said.

  “Ella?”

  “I emailed her, but that idiotic replacement from HQ has had us out backing the local guys. We’ve been out of range. I’ll Skype her now and hold the phone for you.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Middle of the night in New Zealand, but call her, anyway. She’ll be worried.”

  “Mum and Dad?”

  “I presumed HQ would contact them, but they haven’t called me demanding details,” Josh said as he dialed the number.

  It rang three times before Ella answered.

  “Yes.” Tension filled her voice.

  “Ella, it’s Josh. I’m in the hospital with Dillon. He wants to talk to you.” Josh repositioned the phone and Ella’s pale, anxious face came into view.

  “Ella,” he croaked. His head pounded, and the backs of his eyes stung, emotion a tangle in his chest. He loved this courageous woman. “Hi.”

  “You’re okay,” she whispered with a whoosh of relief. “I’ve been crazy worried. Once I realized your parents hadn’t heard anything, I had no idea what to do. Josh didn’t call, and I...” She swallowed hard.

  “Crap, the doctor is here. Let me take the phone and I’ll fill in the details for Ella,” Josh said. “You can call her back once the doctor finishes poking and prodding.”

  “Thanks,” Dillon said. The break would give him a chance to regain his equilibrium. Now wasn’t the time to blurt out his love. He didn’t know about Josh but his current contract was almost done. With his injuries, he doubted he’d be back, and this time he wouldn’t be volunteering for another tour.

  Dillon endured the examination and answered questions. “How bad is it, Doc?”

  “The shoulder should heal well and you’ll regain most of your function with physiotherapy. I was more concerned with your head injury. How’s the pain level on a scale of one to ten?”

  He went with honesty. “About a seven or eight.”

  “The nurse will get you painkillers and I’ll schedule more tests. Any gaps in your memory?”

  “The actual injury is hazy, but I remember being with my men and our mission goal.”

  The doctor stared at him as if she doubted his truthfulness but finally inclined her head. “If the pain worsens, inform the nurse.”

  “I will. How long will I be here?”

  “I’ll have more info once I get the test results, but at least a week. We’re sending some of our patients home. As long as you improve and your headaches reduce, you’ll make that plane to New Zealand.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  With another nod, the doctor strode from his room. Josh’s laughter floated from the corridor outside and came closer after the doctor left.

  “Do you want me to hold the phone for you?”

  “Please,” Dillon said.

  “Ella said no one contacted Mum and Dad. She panicked a bit when I went radio-silent,” Josh said.

  “I stressed enough for your entire family,” Ella admitted. “But I figured if the Army hadn’t contacted them you must be alive.”

  “The doctor told me as long as my headaches resolve and the tests come back okay, they should ship me home in a week,” Dillon said.

  “That’s great,” Ella said, her eyes lighting and color creeping into her cheeks. “Rufus misses you.”

  “Only Rufus?”

  “I miss you,” Ella said. “Is Josh still there?”

  “He’s holding the phone. Go back to bed, sweetheart. I’ll ring you again at a more reasonable time. Hopefully, I’ll have an update then.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “I’ll ring them,” Josh said.

  “Bye.” Dillon ached to hold her, the yearning filling him with resolve. Hana had been right. He and Ella were perfect for each other. While she’d verbally committed to him and the sex was great, it was time to court her and learn more about her likes and dislikes. Her passions. From now on, he intended to do everything in his power to convince Ella they had a future together.

  “You like her,” Josh said once Dillon ended the call.

  “Ella is going to be your new sister-in-law.”

 
Josh’s brows shot upward, his mouth dropping open in surprise. “You haven’t known each other for long.”

  “Hana liked her.”

  “But Ella said she hasn’t lived in Eketahuna for long. Hana died before she arrived.”

  Dillon grinned, despite the ache in his head. Revealing this story to his practical brother who bore the same black-and-white view of the world that Dillon had shared before Ella—was gonna be fun.

  * * * * *

  Three weeks later, Ella arrived home from work to find Rufus running free. The dog let out an excited bark of greeting and raced to meet her. Ella halted. The front door was wide open. Panic ripped through her until she realized a thief wouldn’t wedge a stop beneath the wooden door to keep it open. Dillon appeared and joy rippled through her. She ran and skidded to a stop in front of him, a grin on her face.

  “You’re home.”

  They’d talked most days, and she’d learned he liked casual clothes, reading mysteries and humor. He enjoyed rock music, and green was his favorite color. One day he wanted to visit Greece because mythology interested him.

  “For good,” he said with clear satisfaction.

  “I… Can I hug you?” He’d told her he intended to resign, although he wasn’t sure what he’d do as a job.

  “The doctor gave me the all-clear yesterday.”

  She gripped his shoulders and pressed close. His citrus scent filled her with satisfaction while his hard strength sent her thoughts in another direction. “No more headaches?”

  “Not a one. I need to keep going with the exercises the physio gave me for my arm, but other than that, they’re pleased with my progress.”

  Ella scanned his face and the dark scruff on his jaw that gave him a dangerous air, especially when combined with the intensity of his blue gaze. Her nipples pulled tight and her stomach did a slow flip. “Can we have sex? Right now?”

  He closed one eye in a wink. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “Oh no.” Ella backed away, her hands raised in protest as he offered a devilish smile. “You’re not carrying me to the bedroom.”

  “Move faster then.”

  Ella chortled. Once she’d skipped past him, she slowed to a hip-rolling amble. A groan came from behind her, and her grin widened.

  “I missed you.”

  In the bedroom, Ella turned to face him and waited for him to comment on the changes she’d made. A picture on the wall. A vase of flowers she’d picked in the garden. Two extra pillows. A mohair throw rug.

  “The house is more alive than it was when I was on my own here.”

  “You don’t mind if I make changes?”

  “I enjoy the new ambiance —your possessions mingled with mine. Now, where were we?”

  Her lips curved, and she sashayed toward the bed. With her gaze on Dillon, she tugged her uniform polo shirt over her head then unbuttoned her jeans and eased them down her legs.

  “Sexy black underwear. Have I told you I like lace?”

  “A happy coincidence. I didn’t have time to do the laundry.” She cocked her head. “Perhaps I should do it now.”

  “No way! Help me with my T-shirt?”

  Ella closed the distance between them. She slid her hands over his chest and lifted the hem of his navy-blue T-shirt. The ridges of his abdomen, the splendid array of muscles was the same, but the puckered redness of the wound on his left shoulder proved how close she’d come to losing him.

  “Don’t.”

  Ella didn’t pretend confusion. “Your shoulder…”

  “You can’t worry about what might have happened. I’m here, alive and ready to celebrate the fact.”

  With deft hands, she unfastened his faded jeans and tugged them and his boxer-briefs down his legs. She scanned him and licked her lips. “Lay on the bed. I’m happy to do the work this time.”

  He followed her suggestion with alacrity, his eyes aglow, his head bobbing. “You’re killing me, woman. I’ve been imagining this moment since I left Afghanistan. Hell, before that.”

  “I’ve missed you. Not just the sex but sleeping beside you and waking in your arms.” Her gaze drank him in as he stretched out on the big bed. “I can’t decide where to feast first.”

  “Come closer. I can give you hints.”

  Amusement bubbled in her, tickling like champagne and making her realize she hadn’t laughed as much recently. She’d worried about Dillon since Josh had let slip he was still getting headaches. “Not necessary. So many spots to taste and nibble. So little time.”

  “Today, please.”

  Ella grinned, her mood lighthearted. “I’ve decided to start here.”

  She tugged on his big toe and ran her fingertips over the sole of his foot. He jerked it away.

  “Ah. Something to remember.”

  He bared his teeth in a growl.

  “All right. Moving along.” Ella urged him to part his thighs. “One day I’d like to sketch you like this.”

  “You draw?”

  “Badly,” she admitted. “But I’d happily perfect my basic skills with you as my model.” She skimmed a gentle finger along the length of his erection and circled the bulbous head. A drop of pre-come beaded at the tip and she rubbed it into his skin.

  “Ella, I won’t last long this first time.”

  She nodded and sat back, one hand creeping between her legs to soothe her aching flesh. “The honest truth. I used my vibrator last night after our phone call because I was missing you, but it wasn’t the same.” She hummed, enjoying the easy glide of her finger over her clit.

  Dillon cleared his throat.

  “Oh, are you waiting?”

  “Minx. You wait until I’m one hundred percent fit. Your backside will be a pretty blushing pink.”

  “Promises. Promises.” Humming, Ella reached for the bedside drawer and pulled out a strip of condoms. She ripped one open and rolled it efficiently on Dillon’s shaft.

  “You’re pretty. Perhaps I should sketch too. I’d happily draw you. Your perky breasts. Your pink and purple hair. Did I tell you I like the addition of the purple?”

  “No, you told me last night you thought you’d like it.”

  “I was right.”

  “Wow, that there is masculine smugness.” She pulled a face at him.

  “Come closer. I want to kiss you.”

  “Soon.” Ella positioned herself and filled her channel with his cock. A unified groan filled the bedroom. With an evil grin, she squeezed her internal muscles, her flesh clutching and releasing rhythmically.

  When Dillon cursed, she rose and sank back down, savoring the fullness of his erection.

  “Please, Ella. I need a kiss. I’ve waited so long.”

  Ella swayed toward him and fitted her lips to his. Their mouths lingered and clung in an intoxicating meeting before hunger took over. Dillon’s hand slipped behind her neck and held her in place. His lips devastated her. The long-drugging kiss blanked everything else from her mind, and when their mouths finally parted, she smiled. “Wow.”

  Dillon stared back at her, a softness in his expression that wasn’t normally present. His steady regard flustered her. She opened her mouth and closed it again. Heat filled her cheeks. Had she scared him? She didn’t think so, but men’s minds were a mystery to her.

  “Are you stopping?”

  “What? No.” Ella rocked her hips forward, lifting, falling and straining to achieve the perfect angle.

  “Faster,” Dillon ordered in a harsh voice. “Touch yourself again.”

  She obeyed, her finger skidding across her slippery clit. She jumped when he flicked a nipple and focused on him.

  “Good.” He added a pinch to her nipple and the hint of pain shoved her straight into climax. It roared through her, leaving her breathless and trembling.

  Dillon stroked upward, his hard cock prolonging the pulses in her pussy. Then he gripped her hips, his harsh groan echoing throughout the bedroom, his expression strained as he found his release. Gradually, his grip on her
hips lessened and he opened his blue eyes.

  “I love you, Ella. Will you marry me?”

  “But we’ve barely spent a week together.”

  “I’m a decisive man. I’m confident in my decision. Come here.”

  She parted their bodies and removed the condom for Dillon before reclining on the bed beside him. He wrapped his arms around her.

  “It’s true our short acquaintance has been drama-filled, but I do understand you. You love color. All colors. You have a huge collection of sexy vintage dresses, and you can’t wait for the warmer weather so you can wear them instead of your jeans. You prefer comfortable underwear but you have a few sexy pairs for special occasions. For reading, you prefer romance and mysteries. Your favorite author is Ilona Andrews because you like sexy heroes and kickass heroines. Should I go on?”

  “You listened to me.”

  “I wasn’t asking questions to fill out the conversation. You fascinate me. You have from the start.”

  “Really? You hated it when I barged into your life to inform you of my resident ghost.”

  “But I came to appreciate your tenacity, your courage, and your sassy attitude. Ella, you’re everything I need in a woman. Hana was right about us being perfect together. I love you. I’m certain about that.”

  All the fight, the lingering shock melted away. “Aw, Dillon.” She rolled over and kissed him, allowing her emotions to surface. When she parted their mouths, she caressed his cheek. “Are you home for good?”

  “Yes. I’m a patient man. I can wait for you to sort out your head.”

  Ella snapped her fingers in front of his face. “No, Dillon Williams. I do love you. When we’re apart, you’re all I can think of, and I lived for your phone calls and the chats. It’s the marriage part that makes me hesitate.”

  “That can be a long-term strategy.” Dillon’s gaze connected with hers. “Live with me and love me. The rest will fall into place. What do you say?”

  Hana had been convinced she and Dillon were perfect for each other. “Yes.”

  “Yes?”

  “I like the idea of walking into the future with you.”

  “My parents adore you. Josh is halfway in love with you. Summer told me I should move fast before someone else grabbed you first. Hana has given her seal of approval, and I’m crazy about you.”